Reaping and Schoolwork
by Jeice Lover
Summary: Grell Sutcliff, Shinigami, age 15. 10 years ago, he lost both of his parents to a demon's rage, leaving him in the world with only his two sisters beside him. Now, with his older sister out of commission, he must take her place and reap the souls of the living. But can he handle this responsibility?
1. Chapter 1

His breath was released from his mouth in a semi-transparent cloud as it caressed the cold, winter air. A wind from the side picked up his short locks and blew them sideways and into his eyes. The snow around his feet glittered with a powdery fineness, newly fallen with a peaceful beauty to it.

However, he noticed none of this. It was all he could do to be pushing up his glasses to see in front of him as his feet crunched over the snow in a hurried pace. As he turned his head to glance behind him, a rock whizzed by, a mere centimeter away from the tip of his nose. Incensed by the threat of pain, he picked up his pace and ran faster, his chest rising and falling as his boots sent snow particles flying. The sound of shouting and feet chasing only served to spur him faster, away from the threat of pain. He gritted his teeth and clutched his books to his body as he ducked his head to avoid a rock flying by. More soon followed, passing by him every which way, all (thankfully) missing their mark.

"Hey! Get back here!" He let out a little squeak of fear as he picked up his pace even more, more than humanly possible at least.

Then again, he wasn't human.

He had to get away from this pack of boys, who knew what they would do if they caught him? He had already had one ripped coat and broken pair of glasses from a run-in just that week, and he knew that they couldn't afford to pay for another of either. Within a few feet, he saw just what he needed at the moment. A low-hanging tree branch. With a leap that would have impressed any professional athlete, he launched himself up to the branch and proceeded to scurry up the attached trunk like a squirrel.

Down below, the group of boys that had been chasing him stopped. They looked all around, scowling like dogs who had lost prey.

"Where did he go?" "Why're you asking me?" "How did he get away again?!" The lead boy of the group, one with black hair and yellow-green eyes exactly the same as his, yelled out.

"You got away this time, you red-haired freak! But I know you're around! We'll get you next time for sure!" After doddering around and muttering a moment more, the boys disbanded and went their separate ways. The black haired boy went up the path, while the rest went down. He waited until he was sure they were all gone before making his move.

With more graceful movement, he slipped back down and crunched quietly onto the snow. With a few more backwards glances, he went up the path, the same way the black-haired leader boy went. He wished he didn't need to, but he did. This was the way home after all. He trudged the rest of the way home, not in the least exhausted by the mile-long run he had just completed. He had more stamina than most, mainly due to the fact that he was constantly fleeing from those boys on a more-often-than-daily basis.

Home was a welcome relief when it finally came into sight. It was a small, simple place, dwarfed certainly by the larger home next to it, and the ones all down the street, but it was what he called home. The woman who lived next door smiled and adjusted her half-moon spectacles as he walked up the path to his house.

"Good afternoon, Grell," she greeted sweetly. He offered a half-hearted smile of his own as he pushed up the bridge of his own glasses, which at this point was being held together by glue and some very strong twine. He nodded to her and went up the path, avoiding the eyes of the kind woman's son behind her, the black-haired boy who had been chasing him not long before. The woman looked at her son and gave him a light tap on the head. "Go on," she whispered gently, "say 'hello', William."

"Hullo," the boy muttered sullenly, though loud enough for Grell to hear. He acknowledged the half-hearted greeting and pulled out his key to the house. He made sure to slip inside quickly and lock the door behind him. He let out a breath and leaned against the door as soon as he was sure he was safe. He took a deep breath in through his nose and let the warm, familiar smells of home soothe him.

"Welcome home, big brother." Grell opened his eyes and offered a smile to his little sister.

"Hey there, Bella." His younger sister was sitting on a worn chair, apparently reading some schoolwork when he had come in. She waited until he had all of his things set on the table before putting her book down and coming over to hug him. He returned the gesture with earnest, even going as far as to lift her up off her feet for a moment. When he had put her back down, she stared up at him seriously and pointed at him.

"You got chased by those bullies again, didn't you?" Grell felt his eyes widen as she pointed at him.

"What? But how did you-"

"You've got a cut on your cheek." He halted mid-sentence and touched his fingers to his face. He could feel something wet there and found blood on his fingertips when he pulled them away. He sighed, one of the rocks must have nicked him when the boys were throwing them. So much for getting home unscathed. Taking in a deep breath, he straightened up and wiped the rest of the blood away with the back of his hand.

"Right, well, that doesn't matter. It's just a little scratch. You hungry?" Bella nodded enthusiastically and he pointed to the bathroom. "Go wash up, I'll start up dinner." His little sister immediately rushed to the bathroom, and he could hear water running in a moment. When she was out of sight, he tossed off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to start.

–

"That was really good big brother." Grell nodded as he finished up with a bite of his own food, Bella had just finished. "Delicious." He smiled a bit at the complement.

"Have you finished your homework, Bella?" His sister nodded that she had. "Then go on and take a bath, then tell me when you're going to bed." Bella got up from the table and placed her dishes into the sink, then grabbed a teakettle full of water that he had been boiling and put it into a bucket before carrying it to the bathroom with her. When she was out of sight, Grell got up from the table and began cleaning and putting everything away. As he stood over the sink, washing the dishes, a strand of his bloodred hair fell onto his forehead. He let out a breath as he pushed it aside with a sudsy hand. Red hair, one of the reasons others his age made fun of him, looking different than the rest of them.

Out of all of them, he knew some with orange hair, some with blonde, brunette, black. He was the only Shinigami child he knew of who had hair as deep and red as he did. The only other Shinigami he even knew of who had his natural shade of red hair was his big sister, Mary. Bella was lucky, she had inherited black hair from their mother and father, their parents had had no idea where he and Mary had gotten their red hair from. He pushed these thoughts out of his mind and kept them away until he was done with the cleaning up. He had just sat down to do his homework when Bella came back in, wearing her little blue nightgown.

"Going to bed, Bella?" She nodded quietly. "Need me to come and tuck you in?" He smirked a bit as his sister playfully pursed her lips.

"I'm not a child, I can put myself to bed, big brother." He chuckled and put his book aside for a moment.

"Of course, I'm sorry." He held his arms wide. "But are you still too old to give your big brother a hug and kiss goodnight?" Bella quickly shook her head and rushed into his arms, which he wrapped tightly around her. She placed a light kiss on his cheek as he held her close.

"Big sis isn't home yet?"

"No, but don't worry, I'll tell her you said goodnight if she comes home before I go to bed." He placed a kiss on his sister's forehead before he would let her go, after which she said a hurried 'goodnight' before going off to bed. He smiled as she retreated from the room and went back to his studies by the light of the lone candle next to him.

–

The clock striking ten told him that it was time to quit for the night, which he did. With a sigh, he put his book in his bag for the morning, all homework and studies completed. He looked a bit solemnly at the clock as he passed it.

_Big sis must have taken an extra shift again,_ he thought sadly. Their big sister worked far too hard, she had to in order to support all three of them. An orphan, the second thing that the other children made fun of him for. If there was ever any reason to hate someone, it was having their parents be dead, he always thought with a dark bite. One who seemed to hold a special amount of hatred for their family, though he had no idea why, was the next door neighbor, William.

He shook his mind of these thoughts and headed for his room for his nightly sleep. However, just as he was going down the short hallway, the doorway to his sister's room opened slightly, and her eyes glimmered out at him in the moonlight. He looked at her with surprise, he had expected her to be asleep hours ago.

"Bella, what are you still doing up?" His sister didn't answer, but looked down at the ground. Grell sighed, understanding what had happened, as it happened quite often. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" Again, no verbal answer, but he saw her nod a bit. "You want to sleep in my bed, I'm guessing?" This time, the door opened all the way and Bella came out and wrapped her arms around him as she buried her face into his stomach. Grell sighed heavily and patted her on the head. "Okay, one more time, and that's it." It wouldn't be just one more time, though. He was always soft when it came to his little sister, and he knew it. He would always allow her in his room after a nightmare, no matter how many times she asked him.

Bella went ahead of him and was lying under his covers before he was even in his own room. He tossed off his day-clothes and pulled on night-clothes as quickly as possible. He crawled into bed and pressed the side of his face into his pillow after placing his glasses onto his bedside table. He was just dozing off when Bella spoke to him again.

"Did big sis come home?" He forced himself to stay awake in order to answer.

"No, but she'll be around in the morning. She always is." His sister let out a sound, and soon made no more as her breathing steadied and softened to a sleeping pace. Grell smiled gently and turned to his other side, allowing a sliver of moonlight from the window to fall over his eyes. "Goodnight," he mumbled. Then, he too fell sound asleep.

–

Okay, I'm really not sure how many people are going to like this, but here's the thing. If enough people review and tell me they like it, I shall put it on my list of stories to update a.s.a.h.p. If not, it will be only a 'once in a while' update. Either way, let me know if you're liking where this is going so far.

Thanks all you readers!


	2. Chapter 2

Grell awoke to two things registering in his senses. A bream of sunlight across his eyes and the smell of something cooking wafting to his nose. He let out a low groan and fumbled for the glasses on his bedside table. He rubbed his eyes before sliding them onto his nose, then looked down at the tiny body next to him. Bella was still sound asleep, clinging to him in her peaceful slumber. He smiled gently and patted her head as he picked up her glasses which had been sitting next to his.

"Bella, wake up, it's morning." Bella sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her fists. She stared sleepily ahead as her older brother slid her glasses onto her nose. "Big sis is home," he whispered as he sat up himself. Bella smiled sleepily at the information.

"Big sis..." she mumbled, sleep heavy in her voice. Grell patted her on the head with a tender expression.

"Go get dressed, then we'll go join her for breakfast." Bella nodded and clambered out of bed, then hurried sleepily to her room, just barely missing knocking her head against the side of the door frame. Grell shook his head with amusement and climbed out of bed himself. He quickly pulled on some casual clothing and socks. It wasn't a school day, so his usual school uniform wasn't required. Once dressed, he went out to their combined dining room/kitchen/living space.

"Good morning, big sis." Mary looked at him sweetly as she entered the room, she had just been sliding some eggs onto three plates.

"Oh, Grell, you're up already. Good. Is Bella up yet?"

"Yeah, she's getting dressed now." He sat himself down at the table and looked at the simple breakfast his sister had prepared. He sat back, though, waiting for both of his sisters to join him at the table before eating. "So, what time did you come in last night? Midnight?" He had guessed correctly, because she nodded. He hardly needed to ask, the dark circles under her eyes explained it all. Mary rubbed her eye and poked a fork at her share of egg.

"Yes, it's been busy this week. A good thing, but it's kept me very busy. More dead souls means more overtime, and overtime work actually pays better than normal hours." Grell was actually glad that so many humans were dying. It might have sounded like a horrible thing to say, but they were Shinigami, not humans. Besides, the more souls his sister reaped, the more she was paid for all her hard work. He started as Mary reached over and brushed aside a particularly long strand of red hair from his face. "Your hair is getting long again, I'm going to have to cut it again," she mumbled. "It grows so fast." Her fingers moved to his nose, and, though he couldn't see it without getting cross-eyes, he could feel her fingers brush the bridge of his glasses. "That's right, your glasses broke again. I wonder if I might be able to get you a new pair with this week's earnings. You need a new coat, too, after the last one tore." Grell brushed his sister's fingers away from his face and held her hand.

"It's fine, big sis. It's only the nose of the glasses that's broken apart. I've gotten them re-attached again. And I've already repaired my coat, I've gotten good at it from fixing Bella's dresses, so there's no need to buy a new coat either. You're doing enough work as it is." Mary nodded and removed her hand from her younger brother's grasp.

"Oh, I know, Grell. You're taking care of yourself and Bella so well. I just... I just wish... I just wish I could do more for you both." Grell panicked as he heard his sister's voice getting choked up. Mary's head was bowed, but he could already tell that tears were filling her eyes. Grell took back her hand and stroked it with his thumb.

"Big sis, you're working hard enough as is." He tried to give her an expression that would ease her mind. "We just want to be able to spend some time with you, we've got plenty enough as is." Mary sniffed, but quickly wiped her tears

"Thank you, Grell. You're just too good." She let out a sad sort of laugh. "Well, just look at me. People call me the craziest Shinigami they know, and here I am crying into my baby brother's shoulder." Grell made a face as he gave her her hand back.

"I'm not a baby anymore, big sis." Mary actually let out a giggle, which helped Grell's mind more than anything.

"What do you mean? You'll always be my sweet, adorable, little baby brother." Grell groaned good-naturedly, glad more than anything that his big sister was smiling again.

"Big sister!" At that moment, he was saved from any bit of awkwardness by Bella running in and hugging Mary around the waist.

"Bella! There you are. We were just waiting for you!" Bella took her place at the table and they all began to eat. It was good, like it always was when Mary made the food. Of course, Grell wasn't half bad a cook himself. As they ate, Bella chattered on and on about her little school-friends and all the things they were doing. Grell was always happy to hear her to carefree. At least he knew that she didn't have to put up with any of the things that he did. Bella had never once complained of children from her school hurting her or calling her names, she was chipper as a bird.

When breakfast was finished, the went about their usual goings-on during the weekend. By this, it is meant that Mary went to her room to sleep most of the day and recover some well-deserved yet unavailable sleep time. Meanwhile, Grell and Bella went about tidying up the house. While Grell scrubbed the windows, Bella washed the laundry in a large, sudsy tub. Grell paused as he was wiping down the window of his sister's room. The curtains were drawn tight, and he knew that Mary was dreaming away.

"Big brother!" Grell paused as he finished up the last window when he heard Bella call. Knowing already what it was she needed, he quickly wiped the last bit of glass and dumped the water from the bucket into the dying grass. He rushed around to the back of the house, where Bella was struggling with a stool to reach the clothes line. With a smile touching his lips, he went over and helped her clip the washed clothes to the line. "Thanks big brother, I couldn't have done it without you." Grell still smiled as he wrung out the shirt of his school uniform. On top of the stool, he could, see a bit into the neighbor's yard. Their yard was so much neater. The garden space in the Spears' yard was used for frivolous things like flowers, not like theirs, which usually filled almost every space with vegetables growing from the earth. Now, though, in winter, the ground was barren and cold.

Grell started, realizing his sister had said something he hadn't caught the first time. "Sorry, Bella, what was that?"

"I said, we've gotta' do a good job. Keep the house nice and neat for big sis, right?" Grell patted her head and ran a finger, almost with a touch of envy, through her black locks.

"Right you are, Bella," he whispered. "Right you are."

–

Okay people, first two chapters are an introduction to their everyday life more than anything. The real action will begin next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Grell awoke rather abruptly to the sound of something thumping in the living room. He froze as he laid in bed, unconsciously, tightening his arms around Bella, who was curled up against him. The action caused his little sister to mumble a bit in her sleep, her eyes slid open as his hands gripped her small frame.

"Mm? Big bro-" She made a small noise that sounded like 'meep' as her brother slapped a hand over her mouth. Now more awake, she did not make another sound when Grell took his palm away from her mouth and sat up. He snatched his glasses from his bedside table and slid them on quietly, then handed Bella hers. "What is it, big brother?" Bella whispered as she slid her glasses onto her face. Grell got up and softly stood up.

"Shh. Listen." He held a finger over his lips and held a hand to her. Sure enough, another thump sounded from the living room area. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise up as the worst possible scenarios ran through his head. Burglars. Murderers. Demons. This last one send an icicle stabbing into his heart. Bella, he saw, was now looking terrified.

"What's that big brother? Who's in the house?" He narrowed his eyes and ran his eyes throughout his room. His eyes landed on a metal curtain rod, lying on the floor where it had fallen months ago and hadn't been put back up due to lack of tools to do so. Quickly and silently, he knelt and picked it up, testing its' weight. It was slightly heavy, but easy enough for him to heft. He turned to Bella and whispered.

"I'm going to go and see what it is, Bella. You stay here." Bella's eyes widened behind her thick spectacles and she shook her head violently.

"No! No, big brother! What if it comes into the room while you're gone and I'm all alone?!" Grell paused, about to override with the authority of an older sibling, but one look at her face told him that Bella wasn't faking being scared just to stay with him. Her eyes were wide and her hands were clenched and shaking as she stared at him.

"Okay, come on. But stay behind me no matter what, and do exactly as I stay. Most of all, stay quiet." Bella nodded and scrambled off the bed and to his side. Grell took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, and went to the door with Bella following only a few feet behind. He reached for the door handle and turned it, then slowly pushed the door open. Both of the siblings winced as the hinges creaked, but went forward. Grell kept the curtain rod over his shoulder, and was clenching it so tightly that his knuckles were white. He resisted the urge to push his glasses up, even though they were dangerously close to the end of his nose. They crept silently down the hallway, to the front room where Grell guessed the sound had emanated from. A cold chill was slithering through the hall, which added more goosebumps to the ones already risen from fear.

Grell cocked the rod and tensed, ready to swing. Instead, however, when they reached the living room, he dropped it out of shock.

"Big sis!" He forgot that Bella was there, still terrified, for just a moment as he rushed to his sister's side. Mary was on the ground, head pressing into a leg of the table as she clutched at her stomach. Where her hand was pressing, blood was slowly dripping out, and had already made quite a sizeable trail from the open front door to where she was laid. He wrapped his arms around her, unminding of the blood that splotched his clothes as he did so. "Big sis! What happened?! Are you alright?!" Mary grunted and looked up, Grell was able to see the pained look on her face.

"Grell... Bella." Grell stared, and realized that Bella was indeed still standing just inside the hallway. Listening closely, he could hear her small whimpers, even though she wasn't able to see their elder sister from where she was standing.

"Right. Bella, put on your coat and run to the doctor's, tell him to come straight awa-"

"No! Not the doctor's!" Grell started at the force with which his sister gave the order. Her face was tight and serious. Their sister was sweet and kind to them most of the time, but neither of them ever forgot for a moment how serious and calculated she could be. "Bella, go out to Mr. Hathaway's. Tell him that it's an emergency request from your big sister's. Can you do that?" Bella uttered a 'yes' and rushed to her room. Grell did his best to shield his sister from view as Bella ran past and out the door.

"Big sis, what happened?" He asked once Bella was gone. His older sister grunted and looked behind her.

"Not now... later. I... I dropped my Death Scythe outside. Could you please go and get it?" Grell nodded, but hefted her up.

"Okay, but I'm getting you onto a blanket first, at least." Carefully, he set her down on a nearby chair, mindful of her apparent injury. Quickly, he grabbed one of the clean blankets and then just as quickly helped Mary down onto the blanket. "Alright, I'm running outside to grab your Death Scythe, then I'll be right back. Just... just stay here until I get back." He realized the foolishness of this statement, seeing how his sister obviously wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, but he shook this off and rushed to do as Mary asked of him.

He rushed outside, and shivered as a blast of icy wind his him. Was he ever glad he had ordered Bella to grab a coat before she left, he was freezing after only a few moments out here in his pajamas. He hugged himself for warmth, then saw a flash of something in the silver moonlight.

There it was on the ground, his sister's Death Scythe, taking the form of a simple Japanese-styled ninjato. His sister had explained her choice for her Death Scythe's form to him long ago. A Grim Reaper's duty was to reap the souls of the dead. Silent. Efficient. Death. Mary had always revered and respected the Japanese focus on aesthetic, being simple and efficient, yet able to get by with grace and a certain sense of beauty. Like a sliver of moon in the dead of night. The butterfly-wing silence of the cinematic records escaping the confines of the mortal body. The pearl-shaped, ruby-hued gems of blood that hung in the air, frozen by time and decorating the air with beauty indescribable. That was the true meaning of beauty his sister had taught him.

Still, he had no time to stop and ponder the trueness of beauty that his sister had taught him. Right now, she was injured, and he needed his help. He grabbed the handle of the sword, slick with something he wasn't able to identify at the moment, and ran back into the house. He slammed the door behind him and knelt beside Mary, placing her trusty and trusted weapon by her side.

"Big sis, I got it, just like you asked." Mary smiled a bit, but stopped and winced, grabbing at her stomach. Her crisp, black work suit sported a large, wet dark spot that was steadily spreading over her stomach.

"Thank you, Grell. Such a good baby brother." A knock at the door sounded, and Grell rushed to open it. Sure enough, Bella stood on the other side, with Mr. Hathaway (an old friend of their family's and a retired doctor) behind her. Grell ushered them both quickly inside and shut the door behind them. Mr. Hathaway, upon seeing Mary, quickly knelt beside her and dropped his bag next to him.

"Dear God, Mary, what happened to-" Mary cut him off with a hand, and looked pointedly at Grell and Bella.

"Grell. Bella. Go to bed now." Grell opened his mouth to protest, but the withering look his sister gave him kept him silent. "I want no argument. Just go to bed, you both need your sleep for school tomorrow. I'll be just fine, you need to go back to bed. Grell, change your pajamas, I don't want you sleeping covered with blood. Now, blow your big sister a kiss and do as I say. I love you."

"We love you too, big sis," Bella said quietly. Grell helped Bella out of her coat and pulled her back to his room. Bella crawled back under the covers and took off her glasses as Grell traded off his bloody pajamas for a clean set. With clothes changed, he joined Bella and placed his glasses next to hers. "...Big brother?"

"Yes, Bella?" He shifted and looked at her with blurred vision. He could just make out her hair as a black lump against the white sheets.

"Is big sis gonna' die?" Grell started at the question, surprised that his little sister would even ask such a thing.

"No, no Bella. Big sis isn't going to die. She just got hurt on the job, these things can happen when you're a Grim Reaper. Mr. Hathaway is going to make sure that she is okay. Just go to sleep, and everything will be alright in the morning, alright?"

"Everything's going to be okay then?" Grell paused, but kissed his sister on the forehead and let her cuddle up to him.

"Of course Bella. Of course."

_I hope._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hacking coughs racked his body, he buried his mouth into his sleeve to block out the smoke as he breathed in._

"_Mother! Father! Big sis!" The small bundle he held in his arms squirmed against his chest where he clutched her in his arms. He raced towards the door and burst out into the night air. A blast of icy wind seared his skin almost as much as the fire had a moment before. He ran out into the snow, even though it stung and froze his bare feet. He turned around as he felt the heat recede once he gained distance. The raging inferno that was his home reflected in his eyes. He collapsed onto his knees as he stared at the fire._

"_**MOTHER! FATHER! BIG SIS!**" He screamed at the top of his lungs as snow swirled around him in a fine powder. In his arms, the tiny body he held squirmed and began crying. Realizing that he had made her scared, he gently rocked her and wrapped her tighter in her blankets. "It's okay, it's okay," he soothed absently as he stared at the column of fire._

_Suddenly, the snow around him seemed to concentrate and turn dark. The bundle in his arms started crying again, but he was frozen at the sight and couldn't think. A dark figure loomed over him, staring down at him with piercing, cold eyes. He trembled, eyes wide and breath caught in his throat. The moonlight bounced menacingly off of gleaming teeth. Slowly, a hand reached down, fingers pointed like talons. Getting closer_

_Closer..._

_Closer..._

–

Grell let out a sharp cry and bolted upright in bed, clutching his chest as he breathed heavily. He was trembling all over, his blurry vision made the blankets seem like a shapeless mass. He whipped to where Bella had been lying when he had fallen asleep, saw her black hair stand out against the sheets. Panicking slightly still, he placed a hand on her cheek, checking for movement. He was rewarded when Bella mumbled, he could feel her breath tickling the palm of his hand. He released a sigh of breath, then removed his hand from her face so he could reach for his glasses.

"It was that dream again," he mumbled aloud as he pushed on his spectacles. "Haven't had it in a while." Once his vision was clear, he looked at Bella again, saw her still sleeping peacefully in a little curl. He stroked her hair tenderly as she steadily breathed softly in and out. She mumbled when he did so, but did not awaken. "Sister," he whispered to himself, as a reassurance more than anything else. Then, he gasped as the memories from the night before came back to him.

_Big sis._

He jumped out of bed as quickly as he could and raced down the hall to the living room. His sister wasn't on the couch or the floor where they had left her the night before with Doctor Hathaway. He could feel his heart clench, then pound erratically.

_Calm down, Grell, don't panic._ He rubbed his temple as he thought. Then it hit him. Of course, her room. He went back the way he came and practically skidded in front of her door. He threw open the door and darted in, only to knock headfirst into a taller person's chest, sending him backwards onto his bum. As he sat there and rubbed the sore spot he had landed on, he looked up and saw Doctor Hathaway standing above him.

"Grell, are you alright? You should slow down, or else you might hurt yourself, rushing around like that." The doctor was an old friend of their family's, and knew Grell and his sisters quite well as a result. The man still looked fairly young, although a few hints of old age were showing themselves around his eyes and hands. His hair was short, but supple, and a warm autumn brown (no Shinigami's hair ever grayed like a human's, no matter how old they were, a graying Shinigami just wouldn't be natural).

"M-Mr. Hathaway. Mary, is she..." Doctor Hathaway smiled reassuringly and patted him on the head.

"Ah, now I see why you were rushing. Well don't you worry, it will take a while, but your sister is going to make a full recovery. The best thing she can have at the moment is plenty of food and rest." Grell could almost feel his heart deflate as the stress that had been inflaming it leaked out. "Now, I think the best thing for you and Bella, on the other hand, would be to have a good breakfast and get off to school. You wouldn't want to be late, now would you?" Grell shook his head that he didn't and went to make some breakfast, stopping only to wake up Bella to tell her to get dressed and cleaned up.

He rushed around the small kitchen and boiled up a bit of breakfast stew and cut up some berries for their morning meal. He looked up just as Doctor Hathaway came out into their combined kitchen/dining room/living room/entry hall. "Are you going to stay for breakfast, Doctor?" he asked over the pot. Hathaway shook his head as a polite refusal.

"That sounds wonderful, but I'll have to pass. I've got to get home to the misses. She wasn't too happy about me running off so suddenly last night, and I would think she would be even more displeased if I missed the breakfast she'll be whipping up. Have a good day, young Grell." With a tip of the hat, he let himself out and shut the door behind him. Grell was just putting stew on the table as Bella came in in her school's uniform. Her little white smock hung nicely over her adorable black dress, with her stockings covering up what little of her ankle was showing. He frowned a bit as he noticed a tiny hole in the back of the skirt that he must have missed while it was in the laundry. No matter, though, it would be easy to fix.

"Good morning, big brother," she greeted as she sat herself down. Her wavy, black hair fell around her shoulders as she adjusted herself in her seat. Grell quickly sat down their food and they began to eat. Bella nibbled her fruit, a bit slowly so Grell had to tell her to eat faster or else she would be late. The sound of laughter passed up their street as a couple of girls ran past. As Bella was done with her meal, she jumped up and looked out the window. "Oh! There's Annie and Clarissa! I have to go, I promised I'd walk with them today!" Quickly, she snatched up her little bag and put her hat on her head. Grell helped her quickly wind her red scarf around her neck before she kissed him goodbye and ran out to join her schoolmates.

Once his youngest sister was out of the house, Grell rushed to get himself ready. After a few quick swipes with a comb and a grabbing of his scarf and bag, he ran out of the house and locked it behind him. He sprinted up the road, his breath trailing behind him like steam from a locomotive. So far, he was marveling at his luck. Though he had run most of the way, he had caught sight of none of the usual bullies. He was making good time so far. However, he halted just inside the end of the tree tunnel.

There had been times when he had been jumped before, and he knew what could happen if he didn't take the proper steps to avoid such a thing. With a light-lipped face, he threw his bag around his shoulder and quickly jumped up a tree limb by limb. Just as an extra precaution, he closed his eyes and focused. Slowly, his hair seemed to shrink back into his head and the red color faded, lightening to a platinum blonde, along with gaining a slight wave. His eyes tilted and morphed to a vague, pointed almond shape. Finally, all of his shark-like teeth flattened but one, leaving most of his teeth normal but one eye-tooth that looked like a fang. It wasn't perfect, but at least no one would recognize him if they saw his face poking out of the trees, so he might get a head-start at least if someone did spot him.

He was proved correct as he poked his head out of the branches. Down below, out of the trees' shade, he saw a group of boys standing around as if they were waiting for something. Or someone. He grimaced as he slid back down the tree. After a moment of indecision, he decided that the best course of action would be to run for it. Perhaps his chanced face would throw them off for at least a moment so he could get past them with a head start. With that, he chose a way that would lead them off to the side of them and bolted. He raced off so quickly that a few of them didn't even realize that anyone had run past.

By the time he reached the school building, his temporary disguise had worn off and he was back to normal. No doubt the boys would come in and be angry at him that they hadn't gotten to give him a beating before they got to school. With a sigh, he entered the class and took his seat. When the rest of the class filed in, sure enough, there was William and his gang, all glaring at him as they took their seats. By the time the teacher was there, the entire room was filled up and ready to begin.

"Good morning class, we are beginning. All take your seats and be quiet." The teacher walked up to the blackboard and wrote down 'RULES AND REGULATIONS' on it in large capital letters. "Today, we will be discussing the most important rules one must know for a field job as a grim reaper. Now, who can name a few of the rules?" He looked around, his gold-rimmed green eyes scanning the students in his room. "Mr. Slingby?" Said blonde boy had been smirking and making motions to Humphries, who sat next to him, but stopped when he was called upon and was immediately shrunken and silent in his sleep. The teacher 'hmph'ed and turned to William. "How about you, Mr. Spears?" William had about the same response, absolutely nothing. Grell stared down at his desk, hoping he wouldn't be called upon and have attention drawn to him. "Mr. Sutcliff, I know you'll be able to answer." Inwardly, he cursed and swore at his luck. Still, he had to answer, the teacher knew that he knew. With a deep breath, he gave one of the rules.

"It is forbidden to kill any human who is not on the soul collection list." The teacher nodded, but kept his eyes locked on him.

"Any more?" Steeling his nerve, Grell listed a few more.

"It is forbidden to use or modify one's Death Scythe without permission. A Reaper must never remove their glasses as a part of their uniform. It is forbidden to meddle in the human world in any way. It is forbidden to give any information about the deceased concerning their deaths to that or relating humans." He recited the rules he knew until, finally, the teacher gave him a rare smile and turned around.

"All correct, very good Mr. Sutcliff." He had been steadily writing them down as Grell had been reciting them, and turned as he put the last period on a sentence. "I think the rest of you boys might take a page out of Mr. Sutcliff's book, here." Grell shrank down in his seat, he really wished the teacher hadn't said that, though his complements in any form were few and far between. Now he was assured a slow and painful beating from the boys who sat behind him. He could practically _feel_ their glares boring into the back of his head already.

_Well, it looks like I'll be running home again today._


	5. Chapter 5

Grell felt no pleasure with the thought that the bell was going to ring soon. This only meant that he drew closer to a pain-filled future. And by future, that meant in about ten minutes. The teacher up front was droning on about their homework for the night, which only he seemed to be listening to. The rest of the boys in his classroom were all either signing behind the teacher's back or else just plain ignoring him. He could see the clock ticking ever so slowly in its' place atop the chalkboard. Now only eight minutes to go. Perhaps if he could walk fast enough, he could get a head start on the boys before they could catch him to do any real damage.

"Mr. Sutcliff." Grell snapped to attention as the teacher called his name.

"Yessir?" The teacher held out a small stack of papers in his direction.

"I have a favor to ask. Could you please deliver these papers to Miss Dyer? It's urgent she gets them soon." Grell nodded and stood up. "By the way, as her class is in the opposite side of the building, you may as well take your things with you. The bell should have rung by the time you've delivered them." Grell, who was halfway out of his seat, paused in mid-movement. Up front, the teacher raised an eyebrow at him. A sense of relief swooped through his heart. This teacher could seem coldhearted and void of any and all emotion, but he always seemed to know about not-so-little things like this. "Well, are you coming up or not, boy?"

"Yessir," he said quickly. In a swift motion, he snatched up his bag and stumbled to the front of the room. It didn't help that much that he was tripped before he was halfway out of his seat by the student next to him. There were some snickers as he took the papers from the teacher. However, he could still feel the glares of those boys who wanted to pummel him into the ground boring into the back of his head. "See you tomorrow, sir," he tried to quip politely before hurrying out the classroom door. He made sure to go as quickly as he could (walking, not running, of course. He was a great stickler for the rules of the school). He reached Ms. Dryer's room and handed off the papers in less than three minutes, allowing him over six to get out of the school and gain a good head start on all who would have to waste time walking through the halls with teachers watching.

–

Grell practically threw the front door open when he got home. He was totally out of breath, despite his being so in shape (being the school's chew-toy had at least the advantage of keeping one in shape). He let the door close behind him as he rushed to his older sister's room.

"Big sis?" He skidded to a halt in front of her door, and then flung it open. His eyes fell upon a still thing in the shape of a body underneath his sister's bedsheets. As he walked up, a bit more calmly now that his being out of breath caught up with him, the form stirred under the blanket. Slowly, Mary pulled the sheets away from her head and squinted as she gazed in his direction with eyes that didn't really see him.

"Grell? Oh, you're home from school." Grell came to her bedside and sat down on a chair that had been placed there, most likely by the doctor the day before. He saw Mary reach out from under her blanket and grope over to her beside table. His sister's ovular glasses with the pine green rims lay on said table. Grell felt his stomach flip as he saw her hand, pale as snow and trembling like mad, uncertainly graze the tabletop. Quickly, he took her glasses himself and gently slipped them onto her nose. "Thank you," her voice came to him weakly.

"...How are you feeling, big sis?" It was a stupid question, to be sure, and he felt like kicking himself for even asking, but it was already out.

"A bit tired, and the injury is hurting a bit, but I'll live." Grell held a hand over her to keep her from trying to sit up. Her face was as pale as her hand and he didn't want to imagine what her face would look like if she were trying to get upright.

"Mary," he started using her name, to be sure she knew he was being absolutely serious, "you told me last night that you would tell me what happened. I want to know now. Bella's not home yet, so she won't hear it. I rushed straight home after school, so we've got a good amount of time." Mary nodded weakly and stared up at the ceiling.

"I suppose so, I did promise you after all." She paused for a moment, he made himself believe that it was because of the horribleness of the memory, and not of her current condition. "To start off with, I was on my soul collection rounds as usual. I had just finished up collecting the soul of a street urchin, when I thought I heard someone talking. At first I thought I might just be hearing a human speaking to someone else, but..." She seemed to shudder, as if a block of ice had been dropped down her back.

"But?" Grell pushed.

"The voice... it was saying my name." Grell could see why she had shuddered so violently. "I stopped cold when I realized it. I was just about to call out and see who it was, when... it happened." She paused for a break so long that Grell almost feared that she had fallen asleep. Then she started back up again. "It came out at me from a shadow, I barely had time to use my Death Scythe to block it... I'm just glad we Shinigami have such quick reaction times, otherwise I would have been a goner. It slashed me in the stomach, I just barely got away and managed to get home..."

"Sis... what was it that attacked you?" Mary closed her eyes slowly, the tenseness in her face enough to relay the deep-seated feeling of fear within her.

"It was a demon, Grell. I was attacked by a demon." Grell clenched his own arm in a death-grip as his eyes widened.

___A dark figure loomed over him, staring down at him with piercing, cold eyes. He trembled, eyes wide and breath caught in his throat. The moonlight bounced menacingly off of gleaming teeth. Slowly, a hand reached down, fingers pointed like talons. Getting closer_

_Closer..._

_Closer..._

"Grell!" The sharpness of his sister's voice cut through his sudden flashback, and he forced his hand to release his arm, which felt like it was being crushed. "Are you alright?" How she could ask _him_ that in _her_ current state was unthinkable, but then that was his big sister for you, he supposed.

"Fine," his voice cracked embarrassingly even as he said it, but he didn't care. His eyes ran down the bed, to the portion where her stomach would be hidden beneath her blanket. "Well, how long do you think the injury will take to heal?" Mary looked down to the foot of the bed, her eyes focusing on one of the corner bedposts. "Big sis?" He could tell, she was trying to avoid his eyes.

Slowly, Mary pushed the covers down to her knees. Then, with shaking hands she began to undo some of the buttons on the front of her night-shirt. She only undid the lower ones, so she could pull aside the parts of the fabric that covered where her injury was. When she was finally able to complete this, she carefully pushed away the heavy layerings of bandage. Grell gasped as he laid eyes upon the wound.

His sister's skin was usually rather pale, mostly from her sleeping during the days and only working outside at nights. The gash that ran across her stomach was actually three; long, deep claw-marks that seemed to have a sort of acidic-greenish coloring at their deepest point. The skin around it was either deep red or so purple it was almost black.

"Big sis..."

"This injury isn't something that is going to heal in just a couple of days, Grell. Something like this will take at least a couple of months, maybe even three or four considering the demon's claws may have been poisoned." Mary closed her eyes in a pained sort of way. "There's no way I can go out and work with this kind of condition," she whispered, voicing his concern from that very moment. "I'll have to call in the true nature of my attack. I have some paid vacation time I could take, but that will only cover a couple of weeks at least. After that..." She closed her eyes and gritted her shark-like teeth. "I don't know how we'll be able to go on without that money. It's the only thing we have that's keeping the three of us fed. Without my income...I don't know what we'll do. Our savings will only last so long..." Her shoulders started to shake, and Grell knew that nothing could stop the tears that were coming. And so they spilled forth from his sister's eyes, dripping freely down the sides of her face as she leaned back and sniffed.

"Big sis." He knelt down and hugged her shoulders, letting her cry into his.

"I'm a failure as your big sister," she sobbed. "I promised that I would take care of us after mother and father passed on, and now in my current state, I couldn't even make enough to buy us a bite of bread! I'm useless and a big failure! I can't do anything for us now! Nothing!"

"But I can." Mary halted, then stared at her brother through her tears.

"Grell..." Grell took her hand and sat away from her, looking down at her seriously.

"Mary, I can take your place. It's like you said, we need the income from your job. I can disguise myself as you and take your place until you get better." He could see his sister opening her mouth to protest, to say why it was too dangerous or how he wasn't ready, but he spoke quickly before she could. "I know I can do this! I know how to wield a Death Scythe. I can change my appearance well enough that I can look just like you. I know how to reap souls and be invisible to humans and enter locked rooms and everything! I can be a reaper in your place! I know I can!"

Mary was silent for a few moments, then slowly took in a deep breath. Grell held his breath as she opened her mouth to give her answer to his pleas.

"You'll need to use one of my suits," she finally murmured. Grell felt his face relax, and the tension in his chest faded with relief. "You'll need to practice too, for disguising your face. You've probably never tried to do the face of the opposite gender, it's difficult for me, even. It's at least good that we look so much alike, since we're siblings and all." Grell leaned down and gently touched his forehead to that of his sister's, a tear from his own eye dripped into her hair.

"Thank you, big sis," he whispered. The opening of the front door and a call drew their attention from the moment.

"Big sister. I'm home." Mary smiled up at him as he stood up straight once more.

"We'll discuss this after you've finished your studies and eaten. I'll ask the Mr. Hathaway to deliver my message of a few days off to the reaper association when he comes by to rewrap my injuries." She looked him dead in the eye, vivid yellow and green met their identical companions. "Mark my words, little brother, you'd best be ready. In just a few days time, you will be doing the duties of a full-fledged Shinigami.


End file.
